DP leader asks Lee not to appoint ex-PPP lawmaker as Red Cross chief

Democratic Party (DP) leader Kim Min-seok has asked President Lee Jae Myung to reconsider appointing Ihn Yo-han, a former main opposition People Power Party lawmaker, as the new head of the Korean Red Cross, a DP spokesperson said Wednesday.

Kim made the request after Lee met with DP leaders over dinner at the Blue House on Tuesday, according to DP senior spokesperson Park Sung-joon.

"Kim said it would be better not to appoint Ihn as chief of the Korean Red Cross. He made the request after gathering opinions from within and outside the party," Park said in a media briefing in Andong, North Gyeongsang.

Ihn was chosen through a vote by the Korean Red Cross's central committee in June and is set to take office for a three-year term upon approval from President Lee, honorary president of the organization.

The National Assembly's public officials ethics committee has also concluded after a review that Ihn is eligible for employment as the president of the Korean Red Cross.

However, some critics have raised objections to Ihn's appointment, citing his absence from the vote on the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol following his declaration of martial law in December 2024.

Ihn hails from an American family that has dedicated its services to developing medicine and education in Korea. He became a naturalized Korean citizen in 2012.

Yonhap